BECOMING A LINACRE EMPLOYEE

Personal Information

There is some important information about you that the College needs to know so that we can employ you legally. Everyone is asked for this information when they apply for a job with this College. We will keep yourinformation safe and we will only store and use these data in ways which are compliant with General Data Protection Regulations. Here is the information that we need:

Name Tax Code

Education and qualifications

Work Experience

Home Address

Date of Birth

Legal Gender

Emergency Contact Details

National Insurance Number

While you are working here, we may also put in the same file some important information about your time at Linacre:

Employment history with Linacre

Any disciplinary action

Any training taken

Any accidents connected with work

Employment terms and conditions

Sickness absence records

You can arrange to see all of the information that we hold on you. If you would like to see this information, please contact the Bursar.

It is against the law to discriminate against anyone because of:

Age

Being or becoming a transsexual person

Being married or in a civil partnership

Religion, belief or lack of religion/belief

Sex

Being pregnant or having a child

Sexual orientation

Disability

Race, including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin

These are called ‘protected characteristics.’ You may, if you wantto, give us information on any of these protected characteristics. If you do, we will use this information in the strictestconfidence, to make sure that you are properly protected from discrimination. This information will be held in the same confidentialfile as your otherimportantinformation. Note that you do not need to give this information if you do notwant to. If you do not give us this information when you begin working at Linacre, you can decide to tell us later on.

Information about disabilities

It would be good for you to tell us if you have a disability or long-term health condition that affects you at work, so that we can identify any supportyou may need oraccommodate reasonable disability absence.

The Equality Act 2010 defines a‘disability’ as a physical or mentalimpairmentthat has a significant and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. ‘Long-term’ means thatthe condition has lasted, or is likely to last, for more than 12 months. Examples of disabilities are:

• hearingimpairment;

• sight difficulties (butnot low vision that can be corrected by glasses);

• problems with reading, mathematics, or other learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia;

• mental health conditions such as depression or eating disorders;

• problems with muscles, joints and bones, such as arthritis, back problems, repetitive strain injury;

• medical conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, asthma;cancer, HIV and Multiple Sclerosis

If you have a disability that doesn'tusually make it difficult foryou to do yourjob, you don't need to tell us. If you do tell us, we can try and make adjustments foryou. You can tell us aboutthese disabilities at any time: when you start workingfor Linacre, or at any othertime. We will ask your permission before we tellanyone at Linacre or anyone in the University aboutyour disability. We will only ask you to give permission to share information with people who can help make adjustments foryou. Information aboutyourdisability will go into the same confidential file as your otherimportant information.

If you have questions abouta disability, or if you’re not sure whetheryourcondition is a disability, you can speak confidentially to the SeniorTutor, Jane Hoverd or you can write to her at senior.tutor@linacre.ox.ac.uk

Job Description

There is a description of your job in yourletterof appointment. If you would like a copy of this description, please ask your line manager. If your circumstances change afteryou are appointed to your job, so that your job description lists work that you can no longer do satisfactorily, you should discuss this with your line manageras soon as possible. You will also have an opportunity to think aboutyour job description once a year, with yourline manager, at yourannual development review. You should also tell yourline manager if you are doing work that is not covered in yourjob description, or if there is work listed in yourjob description that you no longerdo.

Changes may be made to yourjob description from time to time, when College needs change or when yourabilities change. We will consult you before any changes are made. It is a condition of your employmentthatyou are prepared, whenevernecessary, to transferto differentkinds of work within the College, as long as this work is within yourlevel of skill/competency. Duringholiday periods or when a colleague is ill, it may be necessary foryou to take oversome duties that are normally performed by yourcolleagues. This flexibility is essentialas the kind and amountof work can change, and asking you to change your workingpatterns helps us to operate efficiently.

If you already have a job outside Linacre, or are consideringany extraemploymentwhilststill workingat Linacre, you should let us know, so that we can make sure that we are not asking you to work more hours than the law allows.

Probationary period

When you begin workingat Linacre, you will have a probationary period:details of this are given in your letterof appointment. Duringthe probationary period yourwork performance and suitability for yourjob will be considered. If yourperformance and suitability are satisfactory duringthe probationary period, you will become a memberof our regularstaff. We may decide thatwe do not have enough information to make a decision by the end of yourprobationary period;if this happens, we may suggestto you that we extend yourprobationary period. You can agree to this extension or not. The probationary period is also a time when you can think aboutwhetheryou wantto continue your employmentwith Linacre College. Before the end of yourprobationary period, yourLine Managerwill offera meetingto talk about yourduties and to think aboutany furthertraining that you may need.

Your legal rights during employmentstarton the first day of employment:thatmeans you have the same rights even duringyour probationary period. However, if we decide during yourprobationary period that your work performance is not up to the required standard, or thatyou are generally unsuitable, we may eithertry to work with you to improve this situation (forexample with further training or a change to your duties);orwe may not continue yourcontract. If we decide notto continue yourcontract duringor afterthe probationary period, there will notbe any formal capability or disciplinary procedures.

Induction and training

When you begin workingfor Linacre, you will receive an induction (giving you information aboutthe generalconditions forworking here) and any necessary training foryour specific job. We will also give you training on your health and safety responsibilities and on ourfire evacuation procedures. We may offeryou training so that you can increase your skills and take on new duties or responsibilities within the College when you begin your job, or later on in your time at Linacre.

We wantto help you make the most of what you do well, and we want to help you work on any problem areas in yourwork. Your line managerwill meetwith you once a yearat a formal DevelopmentReviewmeetingto talk about how yourjob is going and whatmight be done to make things better. This is an importantopportunity to tell your line managerif you are facing difficulties in your work or if you need training to allow you to do your work better. You may also discuss your careerplans and ask foryour line manager’s supportin achievingthem.

It may happen thatit becomes harderforyou to do yourjob. This can be for a numberof reasons. For example, the job may change overa period of time and you may not be able to adaptquickly enough;oryour health may change so that you can no longer cope with the work.

If the nature of your job changes, we will try our bestto make sure that you understand whatwe expectof you, and we will try to provide you with good training and supervision. If we are concerned aboutyourability to do the job, we will discuss this with you in an informal mannerand we will give you time to improve.

FlexibleWorking

At Linacre, we recognise thata betterwork-life balance can improve employee motivation, performance and productivity, and reduce stress. Therefore, College wants to supportits employees achieve a betterbalance between work and theirotherpriorities, such as caring responsibilities, leisure activities, furtherlearning and otherinterests. The College is committed to agreeingany flexible workingarrangements, provided thatthe needs and objectives of both the organisation and the employee can be met. The Flexible Workingpolicy can be found here: https://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/flexible_working_policy.pdf

Shortage of Work

There may be times when, due to a shortage of work, the College may need to introduce lay-offs or short-time working. If there is a temporary shortage of work forany reason, we will try to maintain your continuity of employmenteven if this necessitates placingyou on shorttime or having to lay you off without pay otherthan statutory guarantee pay.

Capability Procedure

This procedure is designed to help the College dealwith employees who are facingproblems in complying with their contractual terms and conditions of employment, orin fulfilling the duties of their post. It is designed to do the following:

1. Ensure that the employee has a clear explanation of what the line managersees as the required performance standard and how they are failing to achieve that standard.

2. To provide an opportunity for the employee and line manager to discuss what the causes of aperformanceissue mightbe and to agree how they can be addressed.

3. Ensure that appropriate training, supervision, counsellingand supportare put in place to help the employee meetthe required standard.

4. Seta reasonable performance targetand atimeline by which it should be achieved.

5. Provide a clear procedure forthe termination of employmentin cases where it does notprove possible to secure a satisfactory standard of performance.

This procedure applies when poorperformance is a resultof a lack of skills or a failure to apply those skills. Most performance issues can be addressed through informaldiscussion with yourLine Manager. However, when this fails to result in you meetingthe required standard of performance your Line Managermay invoke the formal capability procedure.

You will receive a lettersettingout our concerns and inviting you to a formal meetingwith yourLine Manager. You will be given ample opportunity to put yourside of the case at this meeting. You will be allowed to be accompanied at this meeting. You will have an opportunity to discuss an action plan with yourLine Managerand to identify any training or supportthat you need. You will always be given an opportunity to appeal against a decision if you feelthat it is unfair.

You can download a detailed description of the College’s capability procedure here: http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/capability-procedure

Salaries

Salary Structure and Grading

Our salary structure is based on the University pay scales. You can find details of these scales on the University website ( https://finance.admin.ox.ac.uk/salary-scales ) and you can ask yourline managerfor a papercopy of the scales that apply to your job. Gradingis formally reviewed from time to time by the College HR Committee. The HRCommittee will review yourgrade:

• Where yourduties or responsibilities have clearly changed.

• As part of a generalreview.

• If you formally apply for a change of grade.

• Your Line Managercan make a recommendation to the HR Committee thatyou are promoted to a higher point on the scale within your salary grade as a reward for a particularly high standard of work.

Payment, Tax and National Insurance

For all staff, the pay month is the calendarmonth. Salaries are paid on the day before the last workingday of the currentmonth. Payments normally include paymentforany overtime hours worked in the last two weeks of the previous month and the firsttwo weeks of the currentmonth.

You will receive a payslip (which may be provided digitally) showinghow the total amountof your pay has been calculated. It will also show the deductions which have been made and the reasons for them, e.g. Income Tax, NationalInsurance, etc. You should ask any questions aboutpay of your line manageror the College Accountant.

If we pay you too much for any reason, the total amountof the overpaymentwill normally be deducted from yournextpayment. If deductingthe sum from yournextpaymentwould cause hardship, we can arrange for the overpaymentto be paid back overa longerperiod.

At the end of each tax year, you will be given a form P60 showingthe total pay you have received from us duringthat yearand the amountof deductions forIncome Tax and NationalInsurance. You may also be given a form PhhDshowingnon-salary benefits. You should keepthesedocuments in a safe place, because you may need to show them to HMRC orto anothergovernmentdepartment.

Pensions

Linacre College, in accordance with the Pensions Act2008, will auto-enroleligible workers into an approved pension scheme. Unless you decide to opt-out, you will automatically be enrolled in The Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) - forstaff on academic and academic-related pay scales;

The University of Oxford Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS) - forstaff on non- academic pay scales.

Details of the College’s Pensions Policy are available here: http://www.linacre.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/pensions_policy.pdf

Overtime Policy

This policy only applies to staff, including apprentices, on salary grades 1 to 5. Those staff members on grades 6 and above are not normally paid overtime unless theircontract states otherwise. If you are notsure whetherthis policy applies to you, ask your line manager.

Overtime is work you do beyond yourstandard contract hours. It may be paid at higherrates, dependingon yourstandard working hours, as detailed below.

1. Paid overtime mustbe approved beforehand by yourline manager. The College will not pay overtime which has not been approved in this way.

2. You must keep an accurate record of the overtime you work, and a summary of this will be entered into the overtime record kept in the payroll files.

3. Time-in-lieu arrangements are possible if you agree them in advance with your line manager. The hours should be recorded and the equivalent hours deducted from the overtime total.

4. Overtime paymentshould normally be claimed on a monthly basis. Overtime notclaimed for more than three months may not be paid, at the discretion of the College. It will always be paid via the payroll.

5. If yourcontract says that you will work a Monday to Friday daytime week, the increased rates for overtime are as follows:

Monday to Friday: Time and one half

Saturday: Time and one half Sunday and Public /Bank holidays: Double Time

6. If your contract says that your normal workinghours are not Monday to Friday daytime hours, then your contract will give details of your overtime rates. You can also ask the College Accountantforalistof yourovertimerates.

7. Some members of staff may, occasionally, be required to do overtime (e.g. to cope with an emergency or for a special event). If you are required to do overtime you will receive pro-rata holiday pay in addition to increased remuneration.

8. Special enhanced rates may occasionally apply (e.g. whencoveringoutside functions) butyou mustagree these in advance with yourline manager.

Other benefits to our employees

Free meals

If you work up to midday when the kitchen is open, you can have free lunch in the College Dining Hall. Kitchen staff can have free eveningmeals when they are workingin the evening. This benefit applies only when the kitchens are open. Specialarrangements are made for staff, forexample night porters, to receive refreshments equitably.

Membership of the Common Room

All permanentmembers of staff have non-votingmembership of the Common Room. This means that you can use the facilities, take part in social events and join CR sports clubs.

Costs of Childcare

As part of its commitmentto its staff, Linacre offers the opportunity foreligible staff to save tax and National Insurance on childcare costs. Eligible staff musthave successfully completed their probationary period. There are two schemes available to help with the costs of childcare:

University Nursery Fee Salary Sacrifice Scheme

You may be eligible to take part in this scheme if your child attends a University-owned nursery or has a University supported place with an alternative childcare providerundera Workplace Nursery Agreement. Underthis scheme, you agree to reduce yoursalary by the amountof the nursery fee. This amountis then paid direct by the College (withoutany tax deductions) to the nursery provider. You benefitfrom lowertax and national insurance deductions on yourreduced salary. You can find more details on the University website: https://childcare.admin.ox.ac.uk/home

Tax-free Childcare

The Government-backed Tax-Free Childcare scheme gives eligible families 20% off childcare costs. You open a centralised account and the Governmentadds 20p for every 80p you pay in. You then pay yourchildcare providerfrom yourTax-Free Childcare account. You can check if you are eligible and make an application online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-tax-free-childcare

Bicycle Hire/Purchase Salary Sacrifice Scheme

The College encourages staff to use public transport, cycle or walk to work. The College offers eligible members of staff the opportunity to save income tax and National Insurance on bicycles and bicycle equipmentpurchases through the nationalCycle-to-Work scheme. Those interested in buyinga bike or equipmentthrough this scheme should contact the Bursar. College may participate in similar schemes as offered by HMRC from time to time.

Season Ticket Loans

Linacre will considerapplications from staff foran interest-freeloan forthe purchaseof season tickets forpublic transportprovided they havesuccessfully completed theirprobationary period.Theseloans will be subjectto awritten agreement. The agreementwillcoverarrangements forrepaymentby deductions from salary. Outstandingsums mustbe repaid in the eventof employmentbeing terminated, eitherduring, or on the expiry of, the notice period. Applications should be submitted to the College Accountant.

Car Parking

Due to very limited space, it is not possible for mostmembers of staff to park a car on site during normal workinghours. Employees with severe mobility impairments holding a current Blue Badge will have priority entitlementto a free parking space. We will also give special consideration to those who need to use theircar regularly for theirwork, who work unsocial hours or who need to transport otherfamily members. A requestforparkingon an occasional as necessary basis may be submitted to the Director of Estates